


young people fall in love (with the wrong people sometimes)

by lunasasylum



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: F/M, Frenemies, Friends to Lovers, Heartbreak, Hurt Jughead Jones, Implied/Referenced Cheating, Jeronica, Jughead Jones Needs a Hug, Mutual Pining, Roommates, Sad Veronica Lodge, Southside Serpent Jughead Jones, Veronica Lodge Needs a Hug, betty and archie kinda suck in this, they live together and take care of each other
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-23
Updated: 2021-01-23
Packaged: 2021-03-12 09:07:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,617
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28507938
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lunasasylum/pseuds/lunasasylum
Summary: "you should shower and get some rest, it's been a long weekend, and forsythe?""hm?""i'm on your side."// or veronica and jughead are picking up the broken pieces of their relationships, and putting them together with each other.// or jughead and veronica fall in love after falling apart.
Relationships: Jughead Jones/Veronica Lodge
Comments: 10
Kudos: 138





	young people fall in love (with the wrong people sometimes)

**Author's Note:**

> I haven't watched Riverdale since midseason two, so the timeline is probably super messed up (for the sake of the story) and I've edited a few (read: a bunch of) things to fit the story. 
> 
> I haven't written Jeronica in a while, and I miss them :)

_"it's funny how a memory,_

_turns into a bad dream"_

_-_

If Jughead had to recall anything oddly specific about his senior year, it would be his Homecoming dance. He remembers how it kept getting rescheduled and shifted because the constant insanity that was occurring in Riverdale. He remembers how they finally settled on making it two weeks after school started, and how every student complained about the timing. He remembers how long Betty spent fussing over that night, saying that everything just had to be perfect.

He remembers thinking, for just one moment, that it was.

If you ask Veronica what she remembers, it’s different. She doesn’t remember her dress or the pictures. She doesn’t the music or the venue. She doesn’t remember the drinks or the Homecoming Queen. Veronica remembers yanking her hand out Archie's, refusing to look at his pleading eyes or hear his apologetic tone in whatever lies he would spout to keep her from making a scene.

She remembers seeing his infidelity, played out on the huge projector at the front of the dance. Veronica remembers her best friend playing a starring role in this show.

"Ronnie—" Archie began, his voice already slipping to that _other_ sound, with that pitying, consolatory tone.

Shaking her head, Veronica shoves him away. "Go to hell." She wishes she could have thought of something more verbose and eloquent to spit at him, but her mind was already collapsing on itself. The room was already too hot in that all eyes on Veronica, sympathetic, everyone is waiting on her next move way. Veronica pushed past him and made her way out the venue. The air had a slight chill, but it was the perfect temperature to cool down her heated cheeks.

"Perfect night for a breakup." Veronica turns to the voice coming from behind her and sees Jughead, sans beanie, grimacing at her. Veronica sees no tears on his face, and she doesn't expect any from him either. His hands are stuffed in his pockets like he was a wearing a t-shirt and jeans and not a suit, now proudly displaying his serpent jacket over his coat. She frowned at him, shaking her hair out of her eyes. "Let's get a burger." He says it finally, in a way that begs no argument. He slides his jacket off his shoulders and holds it up for Veronica. Despite his tone, he looks at her in question.

She could say no, she could go inside and find Archie, she could call a ride back to the Pembrooke, she could pick one of the thousand other choices that are in front of her right now.

She turns around and allows him to drape his jacket over her already cold body. She calls Smithers and they take the town car to Pop's diner, sliding into opposite sides of the booth. The waitress recites Jughead's usual order for confirmation, and Veronica orders a coffee, extra cream and sugar. The waitress doesn't even bat an eye at the teen ordering caffeine at the late hour. When her coffee comes Veronica starts picking fries off of Jughead's plate. Neither of them speaks for the entirety of the meal and Veronica is able to finish her coffee peacefully. When the last fry has been devoured, Jughead looks at her and Veronica stares back him.

Veronica tilts her head and begins to see what someone could see in him. His eyes are green and when he's focused on her like he is now, she feels herself squirming underneath the intensity of his gaze. His dark hair frames his pale skin nicely, and his long limbs complement his thin frame. He's not bright and shiny like Archie, he's dark and brooding, complete with bags under his eyes and a tragic backstory.

Jughead, for some reason, won't take his eyes off her. Veronica can't hold his gaze because she's not sure what he's looking for in her eyes, her face, her body language, or whatever it was. He keeps staring at the brunette. He takes note of her deep brown eyes, the perfect arch of her eyebrows, and there's a shadow of a dimple in her left cheek. Veronica has always been beautiful; her attractiveness was never a question to him. It was the first thing he noticed about her, it's not like he could help it.

"Would it sound narcissistic if I say I knew?" Jughead offers after the silence becomes too much for him to bear. Veronica looks up at him the second he starts speaking and when the question is complete, she shakes her head in response.

Veronica taps her manicured nails against the empty coffee cup before pushing it to the end of the table, signaling to the waitress that she wanted more. "No," She begins, frowning slightly. "It wouldn't. I think I knew too."

Jughead sighs, "It was after that initial kiss in the music room. I knew something was different after that kiss."

"I asked him if he felt something, if anything changed after that kiss, and he told me no." Veronica finally looks up at Jughead, meeting his eyes completely, before confessing, "It was the fact that I even had to ask—that I even had to question it—I knew he liked her." She laughs emptily, cruelly at her own blindness. "I just wanted to believe in him. I wanted to believe that whatever we had now was stronger than what had been brewing between since they were kids. I was so stupid."

"Join the club," Jughead scoffs. "He had been the love of her life since fifth grade, and she got so angry when I told her that I was just holding his place. I knew it was true, I knew it then and I knew it after they kissed. They just couldn't see it until now, and we were just placeholders for the real thing."

"Wow, super optimistic Jug." Veronica pulled the fresh cup of coffee in with her hands and found herself resting in the comfort of Jughead's jacket. She drinks it quickly, allowing the liquid to warm the parts of her that had gone cold.

Jughead shrugged, "At least you don't have to go home to him." He looked out the window of their booth, watching the wind blow around stray papers and shake the leaves off trees.

"Come home with me," Veronica says before she can think better of it. It's out there before she can take it back and she's not even sure if she wants to. Jughead looks at her in question, searching for signs of reservation on her face, and when he finds none, he offers his own.

"Thanks, but I'm sure I can find a couch to bunk on for—"

"For how long?" Veronica interrupts, raising an eyebrow. "My parents are separated, Jughead. My dad is away with Hermosa, and my mom is...she checks in every now and then. But I'm at the Pembrooke alone." He looks at her in disbelief, but Veronica only rolls her eyes. "It's not a marriage proposal, Forsythe. You can stay for a night and go back home in the morning. You don't have to stay at all if you don't want to." Jughead nods, but Veronica leaves the offer there.

Her use of his first name makes him feel something unidentifiable. He'd only ever heard her say it once: the first time they met. Ever since then it has been a barrage of nicknames and character references, but not his legal first name. He tries to name the feeling that's spreading over his chest and heating his palms, but he can't, not when she's sitting in front of him like this. Like she could fall to pieces if someone touches her in ~~right~~ wrong way. Like she's one sip of coffee away from overheating and melting on the seat in front of him. Like 'Veronica, Interrupted' and she's unsure of how to continue.

He wonders how he's the only person who sees this. He wonders if she's always looked like this. He wonders how long she's felt like this. For as long as he's known her, he doesn't think he's ever seen Veronica look so vulnerable. Conversely, he feels like she does. He wonders if she can see it too. Not for the first time, Jughead wonders what Veronica sees when she looks at him.

When they get in the car to go home, she doesn't say anything when Jughead gets off at her stop and follows her silently upstairs.

* * *

Veronica wakes up more tired than when she went to sleep. Her body feels heavy and sluggish, but when she looks at her clock, she sees its nearing noon. As she approaches her door, she hears one side of a conversation happening in her living room. She is able to quickly assign the voice to Jughead and decides to eavesdrop as he continues his conversation.

_"It was played on a projector in front of the jury of my peers."_

_"Well, she did. You can ask her, or anyone else at my school."_

_"I'm staying at friend's house, hopefully until graduation."_

_"Maybe I'll get some of my clothes later."_

_"I don't know, bye.”_

Veronica hears what she presumes to be the end of the conversation and goes to her en suite to freshen up. She exits her bedroom and sees Jughead sitting on the couch, head tilted back, eyes closed, grimacing like he's fighting off a migraine. So, she speaks softly. "I thought you would've made your swift and decisive exit as soon as you realized where you were."

"Maybe I would have, if I had somewhere to go." Veronica realizes he's still wearing his clothes from last night, and he looks even more worn out than usual. "As usual, I am completely out of options."

Veronica takes a seat next to him, crossing her legs underneath her body. "Not entirely."

Jughead looks at her in silence. "What do you mean?"

"It's been just me for a few weeks now," Veronica confesses. She watches as Jughead's eyes widen and she sees something that could be construed as concern flash over his face before it is quickly replaced with a neutral expression.

Jughead turns to face her. "What? Veronica, why didn't you tell anyone?"

"When was I going to say something?" Veronica explains, rolling her eyes. "When you were uncovering a murder plot at your new high school? When you were faking your death and hiding out in a bunker? When my boyfriend and your girlfriend were parading around school and falling in love all over again? Right in front of our faces I might add. There never seemed to be a good time to bring it up."

"Yeah, sure. It's my fault that you're so secretive with your personal life," Jughead grumbles. "It's all because of me that you're incapable of sharing your feelings with your boyfriend and your best friend."

Veronica's gaze turns hard at the accusatory tone in his voice. "You aren't exactly the open book of life stories, Forsythe."

This time when she says his name it's biting. It's a tense reply to his callous assessment of her. She says it like a punishment for his harshness towards, and he decides that he doesn't like when she says it like that. 

"I just meant," He pauses for a moment to think about what he actually meant. He realizes when he talks to Veronica, he just speaks. He doesn't take time to analyze his words or how they'll come off to her. Jughead has actually enjoyed this because he's never had to mince words with her. Whatever she dishes, he can take, and vice versa. "You should have said something."

"I didn't want to say anything."

He nods, relaxing back into the couch. "I need to get some clothes from her house." 

If Veronica notices how they haven't said the names of their former significant others since last night, she doesn't bring it up. Instead, she finds him a toothbrush from the pack under her sink, and says she's ordering breakfast.

After they both eat in silence, she showers and gets dressed. He follows her downstairs, and into the car. She tells the driver to take them to the Cooper residence, and Jughead isn't sure what he's supposed to do. So, he settles on sitting next to her as the car arrives at Betty's house.

He's surprised when he gets out and hears the car door on the other side slamming shut as well. She makes her way to the front door with him, her expression steeled, refusing to look defeated. Jughead mirrors her look, and he would never say it, but he's glad that she is there with him. If he had to walk into Betty's house by himself, broken and exhausted, he's sure it's a feeling he might not have been able to pull himself out of.

Right now, he's resting on Veronica, hoping that she has strength enough for the both of them. She appears to the steel rod in his spine right now, all sharp edges and polished metal. He fishes the key out of his jacket pocket and her fingers ghost along the edge of his sleeve, drawing his attention before he unlocks the door. She doesn't speak, but her eyes convey her understanding.

_In unity, there is strength._

When he steps inside the house is silent. He doesn't open his mouth to take attendance, he simply makes his way upstairs with Veronica hot on his trail. He opens the door to Betty's room and decides not to stop and smell the roses. He immediately grabs his duffel bag from her closet and moves to the room across the hall starts packing his clothes away. Veronica keeps her eyes on him the entire time. She watches as he unloads drawers, voraciously shoving clothes in that ragged duffel bag.

She hears the echo of a creak and steps near Jughead as he rises to his feet. They both try not to exhale too loudly when FP appears in the doorway.

"Really? This is the friend?" He asks incredulously. "C'mon, don't leave."

Veronica only rolls her eyes as Jughead resumes packing up his things. He doesn't ask where Betty is, and he doesn't want to know. As long as she's not standing right in front of him, then he's fine.

"I'm going to get my stuff from the bathroom," Jughead responds, sliding past his father.

FP stares at Veronica, who harshly stares back at him. "When are you coming back?" 

Jughead emerges from the bathroom, holding a few of his personal grooming items. "I'm not," He declares. "I'm staying with Veronica until graduation, like I told you this morning, dad." Veronica hears the annoyance laced in his voice and this father-son exchange makes her a little uncomfortable. She feels like she's stepping somewhere she shouldn't be.

"Jug," FP begins, rubbing his temples. "Don't you think you're overreacting? Have you talked to Betty? She came home pretty upset last night and I'm sure if you two kids sit down and talk this out, you'll be able—"

"It's not a discussion, dad! There's no gray area here. As I'm sure you know, there's no middle ground with cheating—you either did it or you didn't. And she did. It wasn't a misunderstanding. It's not a sitcom moment, I didn't misinterpret a scene. She lied. I can't live here with her, so I'm leaving. Thankfully, your life doesn't change much." Jughead's voice has the grown man inflection that Veronica has never heard from him before. When he speaks, he is confident and unwavering in his opinion, not hiding the undertones of insecurity in his argument.

FP's face gets red as Jughead finishes, "What's that supposed to mean?"

"You get your life here with Alice, like you've always wanted! You don't have to worry about me, just like you didn't worry about me when you were running a gang and drinking yourself to death. Now you want to play caring dad? Save for it for one of your children who need it." Jughead is angry and degrading with his words, but once they start coming out, they don't stop.

"You've got it, the big house on the street, pretty yard, nice next-door neighbors! You've fucking got it, and now you're siding with Betty...for what? Because she's your girlfriend's daughter, or because she's part of the life that you always imagined for yourself and you don't need me here ruining it? How about you go play "Good Dad" and comfort her broken heart? Better yet, why don't you show her the way Jones men deal with their feelings!" He turned to Veronica, "He won't do that, drinking was only for the FP that had to be a father to me."

Jughead slung his bag over shoulder, getting ready to brush past his father who grabbed his upper arm.

"Boy—" FP started, eyes alight.

"Let go of me." Before he could get any farther, Jughead ripped himself out of his father's grasp, having outgrown being gathered up by the old man. Veronica quickly slid in between the two snakes, both coiled and ready to attack. She lightly touched Jughead's chest and tore his gaze from his father to look at the raven-haired girl standing below. She was pleading with him to move on, and he answered her.

He continued his walk downstairs with Veronica trailing quickly. When her driver opened the door, Jughead allowed Veronica to seat herself first and he followed after her.

Veronica simply looked at him, but Jughead beat her to it.

"I'm not mad at him. I'm not. I know I went too far." She didn't interject, so he continued, "I know, he's sober and he's different. But I know when we walk into school on Monday, everyone's going to be other her side. They'll say she's "perfect," and she “made one mistake," and it shouldn't be a reason to crucify her, but it is. Of course, nobody will see it like that. Instead, I'll be the asshole who left his girlfriend on homecoming night. I'll look bitter and hostile if I don't forgive her. I just need someone to be on my side. I need one person to look at her and just not pick her."

When they arrive back at the Pembrooke, he follows Veronica back into the apartment and drops his stuff in the guest room. She stands in the door, much less imposing than FP. She had already kicked off her heels and was standing at her natural height.

"You look terrible."

Jughead snickers and rolls his eyes, "Thank you."

"You should shower and get some rest; it's been a long weekend." Veronica turns to exit, before spinning around again. "Forsythe?"

"Hm?"

_"I'm on your side."_

* * *

Jughead wakes up just in time for dinner. He finds Veronica scrolling through her phone alone at the table, silently eating. She looks up from her phone as he sits down next to her. She pushes a greasy bag towards him, and he instantly recognizes the smell as food from Pop's.

"Comfort food," She explains, shrugging and eating something drizzled in red sauce.

He immediately dives in, finishing a burger and onion rings in record time as Veronica continues to spin what looks like pasta around a fork and eat it lightly.

"So," Jughead begins knowing this is the part he was dreading. "Lay it on me."

Veronica looks at him in question. "What?"

"The rules," and when Veronica doesn't answer, he clarifies, "The house rules. Y'know, no loud breathing after 10 PM or before 8 AM. Stay in your room unless a written request was submitted in order to exit."

She smirks, and that quickly turns into a scoff, and she rolls her eyes. "As tantalizing as that outline sounds, I'm afraid I'm not as strict as you're wishing for, Jug." Now, he is name is shortened in a way that he rarely hears by her. In some countries, her tone could almost be considered affectionate, and he's not sure what to make of it. "The front door is going to be locked after midnight, though. Just clean up after yourself, the maid is on light duty. The en suite is yours to keep clean, there are products underneath the sink. Laundry is done is every Friday, and clean towels are left in your room that day as well."

Jughead nodded, quickly taking in the information.

"One more thing," Veronica took a sip of her water and turned to face Jughead completely. From the tone of her voice, he could tell this was way more serious than the things she just listed off to him, so he turned to face her. "You're the only person I know who's never lied to me. Even if it was coming from a bad place, you always told me the truth. That doesn't change, it _can't_ change. I've had enough lies to last me two more lifetimes, I don't need anymore. Just tell me the truth, Jughead, that's all I'm asking."

He quickly realized that Veronica was the only person who never lied to him. She told him the truth, as best as she could. If it was only the lies that her father had fed to her disguised as the truth, she still told him because she had no reason to lie. As volatile and spiteful as their relationship was, they never pulled any punches with each other. Veronica was the only person to tell him everything she thought, even if it was unwarranted. She was honest, almost painfully so, and it was refreshing.

"Okay," He said finally, looking straight at her. "No lies."


End file.
